Everypony's Talkin At Me
by LottaLovesWriting26
Summary: Step into the future about five years or so past the current season, and follow Applebloom, the desperate Cutie Mark Crusader with no cutie mark to show for her years of effort. Is slow, like most of my fanfictions previous, so I apologize if it seems redundant at first. I'm just going to say this; our sixteen year old Applebloom acts out in a way no one expected...no kids please.
1. Chapter 1

**Everypony's Talking At Me—Part 1 **

"Applebloom! Applebloom!" Applejack hollered from the orchard in the strong sunlight of summer. It wasn't just any summer, for Applebloom that was. When she was younger, and more compliant, she'd be happy to help with the farm but now…everything felt different. It had passed the 5th anniversary of the Cutie Mark Crusaders in late spring, and now it was early summertime in Ponyville. But Applebloom felt alone and even more irritated and embarrassed at her lack of direction. She was nearing sixteen and still no cutie mark. She'd heard of late bloomers but according to the growth charts in Twilight's library, this was just ridiculous. She'd even passed Applejack and Big Mac's records for how long they went without a cutie mark. It was virtually unheard of for a pony to not have his/her cutie mark before 13 or 14. Puberty started after the cutie mark appeared usually, but not this time, for Applebloom was a rough, tough cowgirl country teenager and she had definitely gone through growth spurts, spots, awkwardness, tempers and dramatically less willingness to work on the farm like her sister practically forced her.

She loved her sister but like all sisters do Applejack got on the adolescent's nerves. When she passed about puberty-time, 12 to 13, a few years into crusading, she realised she was not going to find her cutie mark on the farm, no matter how much the Apple farmer family persuaded and persuaded. She just did not like farm work. She'd tried pulling the plow like Big Mac but didn't have the strength and ended up with a few dislocated shoulders. She tried bucking apples and ended up with nothing but a broken back leg one time and a sprained neck the next. She was adamant about never bucking apples especially after the time she strained her neck and died of embarrassment at school, she was not only one of two of the precious blank flanks left, but she had a huge cone around her neck that made her look like an alien or something.

She didn't like how easily her yellow coat got dirty when she began thinking about appearance. Not to impress colts mind you, just to look decent. Applebloom hated all the special somepony talk at her school. She liked it better when she was younger for some reason, but now at almost sixteen if she had known better she probably did it just to humour Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle when their friendship was new and delicate, not old and stable like it was when they were all 12-14. That was that Sweetie Belle was the youngest, Applebloom in the middle a year older, and Scootaloo, a year older than Applebloom and two years older than Sweetie Belle. In a twist however, the youngest Sweetie Bell after three years of crusading found a cutie mark, in her obvious talent of singing, at a talent show Rarity put her into. She sung 'Summer Time' and everypony was stunned at how such a young pony seemed to project an old soul and adult feeling into an old jazz standard. Needless to say, Sweetie Belle now had a job as a recording artist of gospel and jazz and wrote all her material. She had a cutie mark of Ella Fitzgerald singing a note, a pony whom was her favourite vocalist, and she hoped to be a new Ella.

Even Scootaloo, the second-last in the class got her cutie mark before Applebloom. Few months away from their fifth anniversary, in March earlier that year, when Scoots was sixteen and Sweetie fourteen with a cutie mark, Scootaloo heroically saved Rainbow Dash her idol when she had an accident and was about to fall to certain death in a trick gone wrong, falling off a cliff in the mountains near the dragon caves. As Scootaloo and Rainbow herself retold the great story, Scootaloo was still trying to learn to fly and then saw Rainbow plummet down the cliff. She knew she had to rescue her. She got her scooter and did what she did best as fast as she could down the steep cliff face and jumped off when she met Rainbow's level, somehow scooting and hauling Rainbow up another steep mountain. Rainbow had held Scootaloo in high esteem before, but now she would tell anypony who would listen how proud she was of the budding hero. Scootaloo was a popular loyal local Ponyville hero, like in Applejack or Rainbow Dash's fame before her. Her cutie mark was also fitting, a scooter and a cape representing her scooter and her heroic name.

Meanwhile Applebloom wondered if she'd ever even get that experience while she did her summer homework, what she'd been doing the entire season because she didn't have anything else she would have wanted to do. Did everypony get their cutie mark? She had passed the years when she had somepony to relate to. Now that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had their Cutie Mark…they decided it was time to put the Cutie Mark Crusaders episodes behind them. They told Applebloom sorry but explained she would need to find her destiny on her own now. She had to put behind what had so far been the happiest moments of her life. They may have not meant it, but Applebloom felt rejected. And they may not meant it but Applebloom felt left out. They'd always talk about their exciting new lives with their destinies whenever she wanted to hang out and could even because they were busy with those lives.

They'd then look awkwardly at Applebloom. It felt like half a friendship or hardly a friendship at all. They'd be too busy for her anyways, as Sweetie Belle was in Canterlot for months performing and publicising her album and Rainbow Dash took Scootaloo to the Wonderbolts practices in Cloudsdale for practically the whole summer as well so she'd have something to do while Sweetie Belle was away. So this summer Applebloom decided that tore it. She'd just sit in her room and do her homework, the only thing to get her through summer. She isolate herself and create her own world…introverting for the first time in years. Worst of all, she felt everypony except her family had completely forgotten she existed. She'd overheard Rainbow Dash asking Scootaloo to go to the Cloudsdale practice performances over the summer. "Come on kid. I really want you to be there and besides it's not like you have anyone to pal around with along the summer." "Well yeah I don't need any convincing! Thanks Rainbow Dash! I'll get packed in like ten seconds flat! And you're right, I have no one!" Scootaloo enthused and sped away at the speed of light to get her things. Applebloom's eyes watered despite herself. "But what about me?" She asked in a whisper from the wall she was looking out from.

A knock on the door got her back to real life and she realised she'd be doodling the old CMC on the same space of her homework for fifteen minutes, which made her cry on the inside, remembering the times which would no longer be. How it would feel to be thirteen again for a day. She never what she had until it was gone. "APPLEBLOOM!" Applejack bucked the door open. "What in the hay? I've been a-hollerin' for you for fifteen minutes! I thought you was asleep! I didn't know that being a teenager also meant becoming a spaced-out pain." Applejack grumbled. "Leave me alone Applejack." Applebloom grumbled back, turning around and facing the wall. "Look hun, I'm sorry with what happened with yer friends. But I'm sure as Celestia's sun you can find yerself some new ones this summer! Ok?" Applejack attempted comforting Applebloom. "Some friends they turned out to be." "Well…alright maybe I don't know exactly how it feels, I mean I had my cutie mark for sure before I was fourteen." "Not helping 'Jackie."

"Ok ok. But there's a light Applebloom. Sometimes being a teenager is a tough stage. It's a transition. I know some of my childhood friends didn't exactly stick it out with me over the years and it hurt. Now, maybe Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo will realize that you were a loyal friend and come back though when you're a mature adult. Did you know that me and Rarity were best friends as fillies as different as we were? We then fought all throughout our teenage years, it was then that I met Rainbow and we became close friends, which helped me a bit. It was when we finally matured that we got back together and reconciled, about a year before Twilight came to town. What you have to do now—is adapt but sweetheart you are doing the opposite of that. Sitting in here all day ain't good fer you. And nopony got her cutie mark doin' homework. You should be out with me working on the farm. Applebloom you might get yer mark while you're at it-"

"Shut up about cutie marks! I hate cutie marks, what good are they for anyways? Everypony thinks I'm dumb because I don't have one! Them damned cutie marks are the only reason that I can't fit in around here, have real friends…besides if I don't have one at this point, when am I ever gonna have one?! There's gotta be somepony who never had one!" Applebloom raised her voice. "Applebloom! That's one bit in the swear jar! We don't use that language here on the farm, lady. Stop with all that! Don't tell me to shut up, I darn well run this place and garner up the money to feed you AND Granny Smith AND Big Mac! That's three mouths without me and a lot of stress! You see where I'm coming from? That deserves respect." Applejack reprimanded. "Oh, so because I can't work on this damn farm I don't' deserve respect?" "Five bits ya silly filly." Applejack raised the rate. "What? I ain't gonna work on the farm because I'm useless! What good am I for anyway except racking up a total of thirty-seven, count-em, thirty-seven injuries while trying to help you on the farm?!"

"Well at this rate you're shovelling up the pig poop! Pig poop attitude means the pig poop job." "No!" Applebloom folded her forelegs over her chest. "Fine, for refusing you get to collect our manure from the outhouse this week AS WELL!" "Awwww ew gross!" Applebloom complained. "Well you got yerself in deeeeep shit." Applejack said with a hint of amusement. "Hey how come you can curse?" "Because." Applebloom growled in irritation and slowly came outside to do the pauper's work of the farm, everything to do with the waste of the farm. Well she caught the real hint. Who cares about Applebloom? Nopony. She thought as she collected pig poop and the family poop for manure. She threw up twice during the smelly torture. When she was tired and done for the day, in the cool twilight she collapsed in the orchard, not as suitable for being a workpony as her hardy brother or sister.

"Where's Applebloom! Consarn it she should've been done!" Applejack complained to Granny Smith as she worked on dinner. "Don't you think you're being hard on the filly?" "I understand she's a teenager but she should have more of a backbone—" "Consarn it Applejack! Listen for one second, I swear you're as stubborn as my son was! You don't understand what it's like being her age and not having a cutie mark. I've experienced it, myself. It's painfully embarrassing, and debilitating and can isolate you from other ponies yer age. I gave up finding it for a few years, wandering 'round doing diddly squat without no purpose, when it seemed everypony else had one. Applejack you're a good young mare, but there's no use in never showing Applebloom the softer side. I know you go through things too, you just never show it. Like yer Pa. You even look like him. You miss him don't you? His death anniversary is the same as…" "Applebloom's birthday." Applejack sighed but then hardened up.

"But listen Granny, she's been so badly behaved since Scootaloo got her Cutie Mark and their little group was done or something! Refusing work, cursin', insulting me and Big Mac, being unkind to the Apples that come to stay! I know what her punishment should be." "Oh no Applejack, yer thinking?" "Yep. Cancel her birthday tommorrow. See how much she whines after that." "No Applejack!" Granny Smith reprimanded Applejack with a smack on her shoulder. "Oww Granny…what she needs to learn!" "I've never heard of a punishment cruel as that. You can't. She'll never forgive you if she's already feeling underappreciated by most of Ponyville and now feels her family doesn't care for her. She'll run off if I don't know any better. Please listen, I've lived a chunk longer than you have." "Run away? How in the heck would she do that? Where would she run to and what money does she have?" "There's many places she could run to Applejack, she's not a little filly anymore. And she saved up plenty a pretty penny in her summer jobs last year as a substitute teacher at the Earth Pony kindergarden and cashier at Sugar Cube Corner. I've not seen her buy something since then." Granny Smith warned her.

"Well Big Mac will decide this one. BIG MAC!" Applejack called Big Macintosh over from the porch. "Um…Yup?" He responded as he walked over to the two mares. "Mac do you think Applebloom's birthday should be cancelled?" His eyes widened and he frowned. "NOPE. How could you?" "Well ok. I'll just do this thing myself." "No Applejack. Applebloom loves you and she needs your love now. Even if she's a bit shy to show it. Please." Granny Smith told her. "Whatever I'll think about it when I sleep on it." Applejack compromised, knowing that she couldn't say anything else about her plan. "Where's Applebloom?" Big Macintosh wondered. "Out over in the orchard. Could you be a dear and fetch the filly so we can have supper?" "Yup." Big Macintosh bounded off and picked up the teenage filly on his back. She had grown up to be a light pony from the constant running around on the farm and with her friends, so it was no problem to carry her.

Applebloom was so exhausted that Big Mac carried her all the way up to her bed that night right after supper. The filly slept, finally having something to do.


	2. Chapter 2

**Everypony's Talking At Me—Part 1**

"Happy sixteenth birthday Applebloom!" Big Mac and Granny Smith cheered and the first thing Applebloom opened her eyes to was a white chocolate iced cake just for her. She smiled slightly, rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms while licking her lips at the cake. "You know what would make this even better?" Applebloom prompted Granny Smith. "Actually I think you'll find a surprise in the cake, Applebloom." Granny Smith winked. She held the knife in her mouth and cut the cake open eagerly. "Wow! Raspberries, and m&ms and white chocolate! You got it so right! I love it Granny." Applebloom beamed, feeling more cheery than she had in a while. It was a well-known fact around Ponyville that Applebloom's favourite dessert combination of all time was raspberries, hot melted white chocolate and m&ms. The icing was hot to the touch and Applebloom blew out the sixteen candles. "Yer getting on in yer years, aren't you Applebloom? Soon we won't have enough candles for the cake!" Granny Smith patted Applebloom on the head. Big Mac sniffled. "Aw what's wrong?" Applebloom asked her favourite brother.

"Where did the time go? It doesn't seem like sixteen years since you were a baby. You've…well…bloomed." He wiped a stray tear from his eye. "Aw Big Macintosh. Always a quiet softy." Applebloom nuzzled her brother in a familial way. "Now let's eat! Hey but where's Applejack?" Granny Smith sighed sadly. "Applebloom, please don't pay attention to—" "I want Applejack here to share my cake! I'll just go find her myself!" Applebloom jumped out of bed before the elder Apples could convince her not too. She was just outside bucking an apple tree. "Applejack! Don't you know what day it is?" Applebloom skipped outside. "Hmmmm…nah." Applejack shook her head. "B-but Applejack…did you forget?" "I would remember if it was something important. Now let me get back to apple bucking." She replied sharply. "Whatever you dummy it's my birthday!" Applebloom argued getting slightly angry. "It may be to you but I've got work to do." Applejack replied in dead-pan, continuing to buck the apples.

"I can't believe you…the day you're supposed to celebrate me…and all you want to do is keep punishing me! Fine, for Celestia's sake I get it! I'm not wanted around here. I get the memo. Gosh…you-yer just a stubborn stinking mule!" Applebloom ran up to the focusing Applejack and bucked her with her back hooves, knocking her slightly. "Applebloom! What in the hay—" Applebloom ran upstairs sniffling and Applejack held the side which she kicked her.

The little filly packed a bit of a punch despite not being as strong as her or Big Mac, especially when she was frustrated. "Yer not getting any cake!" Applebloom yelled as she ran quickly upstairs. Applejack swallowed her guilt and kept bucking the apples, trying to keep her focus on the menial task. "Oh Applebloom. Forget it and don't cry on yer birthday." Granny Smith who had watched the whole thing with Big Mac from Applebloom's window. "I can't believe she'd do that." "Me neither. I told her not to. But you can't always get what you want." Granny sighed. "Let's eat cake." Big Mac suggested quietly and they all ate cake, watching their family member in silence. It was a strange scene. The cake, and the day, seemed somewhat bittersweet. "I should've put more sugar in the cake, sorry Applebloom." "Oh it's alright Gran. I think the m&ms very much take care of it!"

"Yes sweet things they are. I remember when chocolate was first invented about…gee 80 or so years ago. Half the town was addicted to it. More addicted to it than even cider. Celestia historically gained quite a fondness for it, ate too much and had to go on a royal diet consisting of low carb- water based vegetables, fruits, grass salad and seeds, hehehe." The three chuckled at the story. "That sounds horrible!" Applebloom exclaimed. "Well she survived." Granny Smith shrugged. "Hmm, probably not by much. What's a life without a treat once in a while? Don't ruin my muscles none." Big Mac said. "Mhm." They all agreed then thought about their favourite desserts. Granny would probably be thinking of apple pie a la mode, while Big Mac loved peanut butter and hazelnut spread high on crispy fried bananas. Applebloom's favourite had already been made, but it was just three flavours, not done any specific way. She'd also love a raspberry white chocolate and m&m milkshake, pudding or ice cream or cupcake.

The two Apples threw a small bash with just their party of three down in the kitchen, and Applebloom danced with her brother while Granny danced solo with her crazy old dance moves all the way to lunch. They were just about to bite into a savoury potato and tomato pie and creamed spinach sent in from Bab Seed's family just as a present for Apple Bloom, but then...WHAM! "Alright ya'll I'll check it out." Applebloom said seeing that an orange Pegasus pony landed in the yard with a bang. Could it be…who she thought it was? "Hey, is that you Scootaloo?" She asked approaching the orange Pegasus. "Uuugh…yeah." Scootaloo moaned, holding her head up and revealing her identity. "Oh! You musta come to celebrate?" Applebloom asked hopefully. "Celebrate what? I just crash-landed from the Wonderbolts when some Pegasus played with me too roughly! They forgot I can't fly. Hey um, it isn't a special day that I remember." Scootaloo gained her bearings. "Um…no it's actually my birthday…" Applebloom trailed off sadly. "Oh. Well uh was I supposed to remember?" Applebloom felt her stomach sink. "Yeah. We're friends!"

"Applebloom…this will sound harsh but we're not as close as we used to be. I don't know if I be able to call you friend soon!" Scootaloo shrugged. "W-w-what? But we used to be peas in a pod! Now what's different?" Applebloom asked. "Well…you don't have a cutie mark. And I know you hate when me and Sweets talk about this but…we have less and less in common. Me and Sweetie Belle were friends long before you and our friendship's stayed strong, I guess. We seem different as ponies but we have a lot to talk about. You on the other hand…you just stay inside and don't even bother to start your new life or find your cutie mark. Your cutie mark isn't you Applebloom. Ok? This is your time. And we can't help you anymore." The old friend's words hurt her and fuelled her anger at the same time. "Some friends you are! This is the worst birthday ever!" Applebloom galloped off angrily, just running. She had to get away from it all.

"Wait! Applebloom!" An older than expected voice rushed after her. "Granny? I never knew you could run that fast." Applebloom turned around and looked confused. "I can if I really want to. Look Applebloom, you have somepony like you. That's me." "What do you mean, like when you got your cutie mark?" "Yes. Applebloom…I got my cutie mark when I was seventeen. I know what you're feeling. It will happen just don't care what the ponies say and live your life. Everypony has to get a cutie mark Applebloom. We've been getting them since the dawn of the pony. Your cutie mark is not your value, or your entire life. It's normal to feel like you don't belong in the adult world, but you do and don't let anypony or anycreature heck tell you that you're not. Alright?" "How was it like?" "I felt the way you do now, in fact you take after your old grandmother Applebloom. You're just like me in the olden days. I didn't want to work the farm not because I wanted to be sophisticated and all that jazz like Applejack turned out, she was probably being influenced by her best bud Rarity at that point, all those stories of Manehattan.

I just couldn't DO any of the farm work without messing myself up and having to go to hospital. Luckily ma and pa were around for me so I wasn't under so much pressure to work, and all my four brothers were happy to. I grew up with no sisters, as you know. So I was never forced. Your parents on the other hand, well as you know as well they've long passed. I thought though that I was good-for-nothing and was sad and moping about the place. Friends also left me, like yours had and that didn't help my situation none. I waisted a lot of time with that. I hope with you it can be different. Us extreme late bloomers are actually special in a way. One only comes along once in a few generations. Try to see the luck in this. You have all the time in the world still." Granny related to her favoured Granddaughter. "I guess, but all I can feel now is hurt. For my birthday, my heart was broken. I don't know if I want lunch and I don't know if I want dinner either. I'll be in my room."

Applebloom ignored Granny Smith's pleas to come back and trod slowly off to her room, unable to process the fact that happiness that may come in the future. Her best friends broke off their relationship with her, perhaps forever, and her favourite sister didn't care anymore. Her relationships could dwindle into nothing. And that was more than her worst case scenario. THIS was her worst case scenario. She was the pony who dreamed of walking around like those big time adults with purpose like her sister and the friends she knew as a little filly, Rarity, then later Rainbow Dash, even at times when she was far away from the cutie mark age. Her dream was to get her cutie mark so she could get started. Everything felt different now, so painfully different. She laid down and slept with tear stained eyes.

**Applebloom woke up and she was in among the smoke of rainbow neon cloud. It cleared and she was in a house of mirrors looking at herself. A mysterious song she never had heard before was piped into her dream. It sounded harmonious but…trippy. She looked in the glass and saw herself, which disappeared into Granny Smith's young self, blond haired, fresh faced and waving to Applebloom. She looked at herself and was still herself. She broke the glass as if she was forced to perform the action, mechanically. She steeped through the mirror and a mystery stallion was strumming the guitar she heard in the song, on a pink cloud. **

_Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping,_

_Into the future…._

_Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping,_

_Into the future…._

**She saw her former friends and Applejack, and Ponyvillians in increasing numbers, but she waved at them and they snarled, holding up knives and pitchforks, as if threatening to tear her to pieces. She ran through the repeating rainbow smoke and clouds as fast as she could without seeing anything. **

_I want to fly like an eagle,_

_To the sea,_

_Fly like an eagle let my spirit carry me_

_I want to fly like an eagle, _

'_Till I'm free,_

_Oh Lord through the revolution,_

_Feed the babies, _

_Who don't have enough to eat,_

_Shoe the children with no shoes on their feet,_

_House the people, living in the street,_

_Oh there's a solution…_

**She suddenly felt herself grow wings and then flew all the way away from the crowd with the chorus repeating fittingly. She pulled the mask off the guitar playing stallion to kiss him but then he vanished. **

She woke up with an electrified whisper. "Fly like an eagle." She sat up and contemplated her dream. "Wait…if I go far, far away…they won't even notice I'm gone. I'm practically invisible anyways." She smiled deviously, drying her tears. "Now what time is it?" She whispered to herself. It was one am. Perfect. No Apple was awake at this hour, they had to get ready for a five am wake up call in four. It was just the time to sneak away. On a whim, she packed her most precious belongs and just a few pieces of clothes in a portable but wide backpack in case she was going somewhere where everypony wore clothes. She didn't know where she was going, she just figured the quickest way to get far, far away from Ponyville was the best, and fast. She wanted to get out of the town, maybe for a little while, maybe forever. She'd made up her mind. She was going to be emancipated from now on.

She needed money though and knew just the thing for the last part of packing, the stack of bits that she locked away from her summer jobs in the past, folded neatly in a purse for whenever she needed it. She'd made a good buck, and was carrying nearly 1000 bits. It was modest but still a good bunch of cash to start out with anyway. She brushed her hair, which was now a wild wavy red mane just short of the floor as a teenager in protest to Applejack's love of short and neat cut hair. She brushed her teeth. She then did braids in four places and felt quite the exciting bohemian. She even put flowers in her tail. Heck she was her own boss from now on. It was so exciting. No more orders, school and she could work as she pleased! She held in a squeal. She just wondered how she hadn't come to this conclusion before. She put on just a plain shinny lip gloss and mascara, although she was more girlish compared to Applejack because Applejack hardly wore any make up ever. She ditched the bow Applejack preferred in her hair years ago, so there was no need for that. Applebloom finished her packing with her tools to get ready.

She then came across the most dangerous part of her journey…getting out of the house. But she managed to tip toe down the hall, leaving her room slightly ajar and not closing it so that she couldn't wake anypony up. She just managed to get down the stairs without creaking and closed the house behind her. She set off running as fast as her legs could carry her, in desperate attempt to not be caught, and looked back at the house as she was running. Nopony followed after her. She just might've escaped. She stopped and took a long last look at her home from afar when it was apparent no one had woken up. "So long." She whispered as she continued running, feeling the rush of doing something bad for once, the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She sprinted to Ponyville, her light legs carrying her determined little mind. It was two o'clock when she was the train station, just about. She sighed wistfully and took the next steps into her life alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Applebloom sat around for ten minutes anxiously, hoping that no ponies would see her and bring her to Applejack. She hid behind her suitcase most of the time. To her relief, no pony at all was on the train platform but her this late. She'd bought tickets for the most far city she could in such short time, Mane-hattan. It finally came when she could hardly wait no more, or what most ponies would say was three minutes, but she felt more desperate with every passing minute. If she didn't get out, somepony would spot her and rat on her. Her fantasy would be all over. But luckily it didn't end as she jumped in the carriage with glee. She made it. She really made it! She smiled and got out her Niegh-pod, listening to her two favourite songs on repeat, 'Go Your Own Way' and 'Everybody's Talking At Me'. She loved how they were relevant to what she was doing now, it felt like she was in some sort of movie, and relaxed watching Ponyville and subsequent towns pass by in the dead of night, finally falling asleep again without a worry. Mane-hattan was far, and the trip took almost a day by train, she knew.

She woke and it was breaking daylight, about noon she guessed as she saw the sun in the sky. She'd left her gourmet breakfast to go cold, but she was due for lunch in a matter of minutes and couldn't wait for her lunch creation to arrive. Applebloom vouched for first class when she saw the option available for this journey, as it would ensure comfort and no ponies she knew would find her on the train, as first class was restricted to certain ponies anyway. Ponyville was also a middle class city and no one could afford the first class tickets on a regular basis anyway. She used two-hundred of her thousand bits to ensure this security that the higher class offered. She even got a bed and express service to her carriage, plus a room all to herself. Sweet! "Have you had a good rest Ms. Apple? We're quite glad you got some rest with that early start, here's some good food for you to wake up to. It's a pumpkin and blue cheese lasanga and a side of tomato and garlic sautéed artichokes with roasted bell peppers, pickled onions and cucumber. Is that alright for lunch dear?" The server pony graciously asked.

"Yes thankyou, it looks just wonderful! Tell the chef thanks." Applebloom beamed at her beautiful lunch and suddenly remembered how hungry she was. "Oh, well I guess I could." She smiled at the humble pony, much more than most ponies riding first class who expected everything. Applebloom devoured the pumpkin lasanga in a very uncouth way and the artichokes, peppers and pickles soon followed. Her belly filled and satisified, she began to watch out the window again, and read some of the book she brought, then wrote in her diary all about her new adventures, then looked out the window some more to her music.

Dinner rolled along and she was given another fantastic gourmet meal, a personal size swiss cheese and apple savoury tart with wine poached fruit, figs and hollandaise sauce. It was a banquet fit for a grown mare. She was kind of guilty at the way she destroyed the beautiful plate, but her full belly was a good enough reward. Applebloom sat back and took another nap and when she woke up after a day of lounging she was in Mane-hattan. Some of her excitement died down and was replaced by a bit of nervousness. She knew no one here, maybe except her cousin but she had no idea where Babs Seed was. That could be good and bad. She could make a fresh start in this big city, or she could be forced to go elsewhere or worse—back home if it was as bad a prospect as Ponyville was at that moment. The city lights charmed her but glared her eyes out as she looked out on the skyline at night. She was filled with apphensive hope, but hope none-the-less. She'd made her way out of her funk, and felt not alone, but independent.

As young as she was, the wild, red maned teenager left the carriage, and left a good tip for the server and the chef their collective delight, and began to walk the Mane-hattan streets at night—like one of those big adults with a purpose.

The Apple family woke at six that morning and Applejack went to retrieve her sister, but found nothing but her bow and an unmade bed. "GU-UH!" Applejack shouted alerting the whole family. Granny Smith shrieked. "HOLY CELESTIA! WHERE IS SHE?" Big Mac suddenly became much more talkative. "We gotta find her! What if a burglar took her, oh what if some colt who wanted to get lucky took her for his purposes, what if WHAT IF?!" Applejack cried in a panic. "Applejack, breathe." Big Mac attempted to calm down the hyperventilating mare with a pale orange face and eyes widened as far as they could. "I can't breathe! For all I know she's been defiled or injured or she's DEAD!" Applejack paced, still hyperventilating. "Big Mac is right. Look we haven't checked the house or the shed, though I don't know if she'd still be here since she was last in bed. Let's split up. Big Mac take the barn and orchard. I'll do the house, Applejack check her old shed." Granny Smith instructed.

They checked all three places and nothing lead to finding Applebloom. Applejack was getting more and more despaired, and so was Big Mac. They got the police involved and everypony was searching for Applebloom, as if when she was gone everypony seemed to remember her for her, not her cutie mark status. Her absence was working in her favour better than the pony herself expected. The police told the Apple family they would look in every nook and cranny over the next week but they'd have to do it nine-to-five as that was what their hours allowed. After that they'd have to look in nearby neighbouring towns for half a week and if that didn't work out, well it was up to the federal police. Applejack slinked up to her room, not even feeling like apple-bucking, just blasting one of the family favourites in her bedroom, the country tinged band Fleetwood Mac and their album Rumours. It began pouring down rain outside. Applebloom's favourite song came on and she had to change it. She couldn't stand to be reminded of her right now. She'd may have caused Applebloom to disappear in the first place. Everypony knew she'd been treating her wrong. She felt like a failure of a sister.

"Boo!" A rainbow-maned Pegasus jumped into Applejack's window. "Ah geez Rainbow! Can't you see I wanna be alone?" Applejack snapped and then said sadly. "That doesn't sound like my 'Jackie." Rainbow Dash said worriedly, sitting on the open window sill. "Well Dashie, I really do deserve to be alone at this point. I think my sister disappeared…because of me." Applejack sighed sadly and blinked away tears furiously. "WOAH! Applebloom is…gone?!" Rainbow Dash gasped. "You didn't know?" Applejack asked surprised. "No. I guess the gossip didn't reach Cloudsdale yet. You see I'm practicing with the Wonderbolts up there and Scootaloo is up there staying with me. I just decided to come down to visit you. Sorry we don't have any time this summer, you know to…see each other. I tried to convince the Bolts otherwise but they just really wanted…" "Shhh…it's ok sweetheart. I would've loved to go on more dates with you, but even if we can't go together this summertime, I will still wait because you're worth it." Applejack went up to the sill and nuzzled Rainbow Dash's nose. Rainbow blushed a deep red.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash were dating, after years of romantic tension. The two started as teenage friends who garnered secret crushes on one another in their late teens. They'd been just friends without any romantic feelings for a few years before that, so they also knew how to confide in each other and had a stable loving relationship that grew through slow stages, the opposite of many on-off relationships that their friends and ponies would have. They'd had five dates and Applejack knew she was falling for Rainbow Dash, and needed to get out those three words soon. She just hoped Rainbow Dash was ready too. "Anyway, I'm so worried about Applebloom now! What happened to her?" Rainbow Dash asked Applejack. "I dunno sweetie. That's the thing. She's just up and disappeared. We had to inform the police and now they're looking for her. If you see her…take her to me right away." "Of course, I promise." Rainbow looked her date right in the eye, her element shining through her eyes.

"I just feel so bad." Applejack collapsed back on the bed, patting a space for Rainbow Dash to lie down. Rainbow Dash promptly started nibbling her ear. Applejack shrieked and couldn't stop moaning. "What are you doing?" Applejack accused. "Oh lighten up Apple-dweeb. I was just trying to make you feel good!" "Well, mission sort of accomplished," Applejack blushed and Rainbow Dash waggled her eyebrows, "But the thing is…I don't know how I'm ever going to get over the guilt of driving my sister away." Applejack lamented. "It can't have been you alone. Me and Scoots have had our share of arguments, it's just getting to the age where they talk back at you. There had to be a few things to break the camel's back if she did run away you know. Look…around lunchtime I came to pick up Scootaloo because she'd crash landed in your backyard and well, I saw something…" Rainbow Dash said sadly. "What?" Applejack implored Rainbow.

"Well uh, Scootaloo said some pretty bad stuff to Applebloom and it was kind of clear she didn't want to be friends with her anymore. Neither did Sweetie Belle apparently. With no friends, and whatever you thought you did, and her cutie mark status which she gets a bit snappy over, that could've been enough." Rainbow Dash revealed. "Oh what in tarnation?! Lemme at that little whippersnapper thinks she can hurt my sister—" Applejack growled as her face went red. "Hey! Calm down. Look…I know it's a bit tempting to get involved but we just can't get involved in the filly's lives anymore and meddle with them too much. They've gotten to the stage where they have their own life now. I do think that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are making a mistake, that's for sure. The best thing is to be loyal to your friends so you have a really close relationship as adults. I was able to do that with my best friend Fluttershy and then you, even though I was palling around with Gilda as well. They could also make the time. I'm going to talk to Scootaloo and attempt to persuade her but in the end I don't know if I'll make a difference or not." Rainbow Dash said.

"You know what I did? I thought it was appropriate to forget her own birthday just because she'd been a bit rude? Isn't that awful? How on Earth did I find that permissible?" Applejack lamented. "Oh you silly filly, you're not awful. That was a harsh punishment but it's just that stubbornness. Plus you were doing a good job considering you and Big Mac have had to practically raise a child since you were nine or ten and Mac was fifteen. Now your twenty-five and he's thirty, so you do have a bit of life experience, but's it's nothing compared to if you were at the proper age for having a baby and she was yours. You were bound to make mistakes. I think you were always the one who gave discipline and Big Mac was the 'gentle one'. And that's alright because I think Mac's too soft to punish his sister. Now that Applebloom is transitioning, that was tough for you and you made the mistake of punishing her a bit too much. Kids are annoying at this age anyway, I'd be tempted to cancel Scootaloo's birthday a couple times. They don't mean it, it's one of the most tough times in their life. No one can be perfect at raising a child." Rainbow Dash comforted her.

"I guess that makes me feel a bit better." Applejack sighed. "Do you wanna dance?" "This is a slow song." "Still a good song. You've got some good taste, I can't get Pinkie Pie to listen anything but Lil' John and Kanye West these days." Rainbow Dash said and Applejack giggled. "Yep that sounds like her." "I've got an idea." Rainbow Dash turned the dial way up on the music and grabbed Applejack who shrieked happily as she was flown outside in the gentle rain. "May I have this dance?" Rainbow extended her paw. "A slow dance? Well what the hay?" Dreams by Fleetwood Mac was blaring through the stereo upstairs and Applejack smiled slightly in a long time as Rainbow danced with her like a gentlemare, slowly stepping, leading and holding her close so their hearts beat into each other. It was moments like these she cherished most, finally she'd found something maybe even bigger than Applebucking, slow-burning romance, as corny and cheesy as it sounded.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Applebloom walked the streets and past the skylines of the heart of Mane-hattan, gasping at the lights filling the sky, all different colours, a rainbow haze just like she'd seen in her dream. The neon signs wouldn't stop catching her eyes, and it was fun and aggravating at the same time to the young mare. Eat Here NOW, Veggi Burgers!, Cabaret Show, Fashion House, Art Gallery…it seemed nothing was closed. She'd truly come to the city that never slept, and there seemed to be so many intricate nooks, crannies and districts. "Wow…" She gasped. She was in danger of getting lost as she walked, so she decided it was best to give two bits to a street vendor in exchange for a crumpled map. Right now she was in the entertainment district, or Broadway but there wasn't many apartments or motels here and she needed to find a place to rest, and for cheap. She'd have to walk through the Bohemian district to get to the housing projects, and that was left of Broadway. She followed the map carefully and estimated it was twenty or so minutes away from Broadway.

It was eight pm just about so she had plenty of time to find somewhere to rest, but Applebloom ran as she was so afraid of getting caught in Broadway. It was the district in which her cousin and Aunt and Uncle Orange lived and if she saw her, Babs Seed was sure to take her back to Ponyville. So she made the Bohemian district in ten minutes and by pure luck none of her relatives happened to be walking around. They must've been having dinner, she thought with a sigh of relief. She strolled through the Bohemian district and found it more exciting than generic Broadway. Ponies with cool round shades in different colours, patterned neckties around their necks and heads, baggy jeans or dull coloured jean jackets lay on the grass just hanging out. A few were even blank flanks! Loud concerts of harmonious music filled the streets.

Cafes sold strictly organic but delicious looking things she never heard of like vegan black bean and sweet potato fritters, eggplant sausages, fresh fruit smoothies, BBQ chilli mushroom and mashed plantain, popcorn, fresh nuts. She'd never be able to get that stuff in Ponyville. She decided to stop and get some fresh nuts, some she'd never tried, roasted pecans and roasted brazil nuts, along with a small papaya smoothie. She smiled as the tropical sensation and the smoky roasted nuts hit her tongue in different bursts. Suddenly a familiar noise took over her ears from next door and she made her way into the bar next door almost hypnotically. She gasped at just how familiar the song was. It was the song of her dream.

I want to fly like an eagle, to the sea,

Fly like an eagle let my spirit carry me…

The stallion singing and playing guitar, not the drums, the rest of the band, or the clapping, wildly dancing crowd seemingly smoking something was drawing her in. The sticky, smelly room seemed to disappear and she was surrounded by a rainbow haze, circling her with the stallion. It was a nice dream, but she sure couldn't walk straight. She decided to leap onto one of the stallion's shoulders and wave her arms around in the front row. She locked eyes with the performing stallion and he began singing at her. Suddenly the haze fell away and she seemed sobered. But sobered of what? She hadn't taken anything. Maybe the overwhelming fumes of whatever was pungent in the air had gotten to her too? Had Applebloom just gotten high? She then could focus on the features of the stallion properly. He was completely black, but had a light brown shoulder length mop of hair, unruly, and perhaps a little rugged. He had red orange flame coloured eyes, which were small and glassy with cynicism and experience.

He was handsome in not a well-groomed way, but in a way that he didn't seem to care about anypony else's opinion on his grooming, but at Applebloom's most rebellious stage of life she found that seriously attractive. It wasn't that she liked the stallion yet, but she did think he was good looking. They had locked eyes for a good three minutes, so if she didn't know any better she would've thought that he found something in her too, attractive or not. The stallion whom had leant her his shoulders put her down and she thanked him, always being taught manners. He looked surprised. "Don't thank me." He shrugged and went to hang with his friends and smoke. She beamed. She would really love this place in all it's uncouth and earthy glory. "Hay there filly." The black stallion spoke up and pulled her up on the stage with his arm. "Hay…uh…nice song." "Yeah you were getting into it weren't you? I've never seen you around before, but you look like you'd be the type to fit in here." The stallion complimented.

"Oh thanks but, I'm actually not a local…uh I've just arrived here." Applebloom said. "You're visiting? I can show you a lot of places—" "No it's indefinitely. But thanks for the offer." "Indefinitely? Why are you here?" The stallion asked brashly. "Uh why are you asking me that?" Applebloom tensed up, bristling slightly at the nerve of the guy to ask her like that when he barely knew her. "Oh whoops. Sorry I forgot, out of towner. We ponies of Bohemian Town are kind of—well speak the truth so much it can sound pushy. We're brash ponies, but we are friendly. I'm not used to using my manners, to be honest." The stallion chuckled bashfully. "Oh ok. I guess I have to get used to it, and I don't know anypony here, and you seem a nice guy…I…well I ran away." The band stopped chatting and snapped their heads toward the young mare.

"You ran away hey? Just how old are you little Mama?" asked the drummer with a flirty wink. "I'm sixteen for your information." Applebloom whipped her tail in the drummer's face, as he seemed like he was coming onto her. The other band members chuckled and then started swooning over the sassy young mare. "Sixteen? Did you run away from your family?" The stallion she preferred talking to asked. "Yeah, I did. But it wasn't just my family, I mean my friends dumped me too. I-I-I-ve seen blank flanks around here so I didn't think maybe it was such a big deal, but you need to know that, I'm a blank flank. It's the worst. And I came from a farming family so I was pressured to be good with farming and such and that would be my cutie mark, but I was no good at the work. No more I decided. So I made a new start here." Applebloom explained. "It doesn't matter you're a blank flank! Hey you wanna know a secret?" The stallion asked playfully. "What?" Applebloom asked back curiously. The stallion turned on his side to show off the side of his flank. It was bare and blank.

"You—a blank flank? I thought that the band would be your special talent." Applebloom said, pleasantly surprised. "Well I'm also a culinary school graduate and I work at Scoops on the corner of Broadway and Bohemia." "Ice cream chain?" "Yep that's the one. Where do you come from anyway?" "Well…I'll tell you if you finally tell me your name. Are all Bohemians like this?" Applebloom teased. "Ok ok. My name is Mahogany Strummer. Changed it from Grapefruit Jelly, because I look nothing like grapefruit or jelly and I escaped from a farm…just like you believe it not. Except that I did so five years ago. So I don't look country and I don't speak it anymore, I just have my memories to prove it." "Cool. Well I'm Applebloom, and I come from Ponyville." "Ponyville? Gee, small town. Good cider. Been there on a mini-tour with the band about three years ago, but I don't think you would've come to our concerts. We're kind of alternative, so it was not surprising when close to nopony watched us in that tiny town. About fifty or so ponies. But they were good fans. There's no Scoops in Ponyville though, so I don't know where you'd get some."

"Me and my friends didn't use to spend every second in Ponyville! It was a boring place for a teenager. We'd often pool our bits together so we could get the student discount tickets to the next town over on the train, Haybale Avenue and get those ridiculously giant cups of Scoops together on the weekends. They were good times. But now apparently I'm not good enough for them because I don't have my mark. Perhaps I'll make some new friends over here." "Yeah well we don't discriminate on marks as a pony's value. We believe every adult pony, marked or not, deserves to be treated like an adult with as much purpose. You may not believe this, but I'm a twenty-one year old pony, and I don't have a cutie mark. I ran away at the same age as you for about similar reasons. Many of this little section of Mane-hattan are runaways. We all help each other, albeit in a slightly brash way." Mahogany assured Applebloom. "I love that. I love this place!" Applebloom jumped up in excitement. She'd found the perfect new home.

"She's such a rebellious filly." The organist said softly. "I know. It's sexy." The drummer replied and Applebloom blushed bright red. She wasn't sure about that description. She'd never even had a coltfriend and was just an ol' farm filly. What made her sexy? "Hey guys knock it off. She's only a teen." Mahogany said protectively. "Yeah I bet you want her to yourself." "No but she's blushing too hard to be comfortable." Mahogany pointed out. "Whatever." The band shrugged and went to smoke while sitting on the bar. "What is the thing their all smoking?" "Oh that? It's the addictive part of chocolate put into a cigar instead of nicotine called ca-caine or "choco-puff". Used to be addicted to it, but now I smoke it only occasionally. It's fine in small doses but it is a drug and can get addictive in a small time. You looked like you were a little high off the fumes there."

"I was high. Is it legal?" "No Applebloom…technically for a second you were breaking the law. It's only been around half a century but helps the poets, songwriters and artists around here write their pieces more…creatively. You probably shouldn't tell anyone outside of Bohemia. Police tend to let us off the hook a bit so they can smoke the drug at their parties once in a while." Applebloom gasped. "But is that right to do that?" "No not really. But it's being going on for years under Celestia's nose." "Huh." Applebloom was deep in thought for a few moments before Mahogany broke the silence quickly. "It's going to get late soon. Come with me, I have an apartment. Until you get a regular job and some proper income, you can crash there. Is that ok? Don't worry, I'll respect you and all…not like any of my band members might." "No it's ok, I'd trust a southern gentlepony. I have nowhere else to go right now anyway, and although you don't want me to say it, thankyou."

"It's alright I wish I had someone to help me crash when I didn't have a job. I had to sleep on the grass patch, you know the one you probably saw five minutes away. We can go in my car, I live around the corner from Scoops, but it's still in Bohemia." Mahogany told her and the young mare nodded, following the older but still young stallion. Applebloom couldn't believe he'd sleep on the grass, but then again she'd never experienced that sort of desperation before. She got into his tiny candy red electrically powered two-seater and drove off in a car, something that was virtually unattainable in the towns or small cities in between Ponyville and Canterlot. More updated, younger cities like Mane-Hattan or Saddle Arabia had cars for a little under a hundred years instead of horse and carriage. It was only a ten minute hop as Mahogany promised and Applebloom made a makeshift bed on Mahogany's couch after a few hours of TV, and thanked her lucky stars she already had a place to stay and she had a potential new friend. ***


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

"Hello?" Scootaloo picked up the phone she had in her dorm room she was sharing with adoptive sister Rainbow Dash. "Hey Scoots! It's me Sweetie!" Scootaloo perked up immediately and sat back on the bottom bunk of the bed which was hers since she couldn't fly that high. "Yo Sweets how's it hanging?" Sweetie Belle giggled. "You're so corny. Um, yeah it's fine, but I miss my best friend. I've just gotten off stage and I have a breather for an hour. Hey, have you seen Applebloom around lately? I don't think we hang out with her all that much. I want to include her more when we hang out. Maybe if you get a break at Rainbow's practices over the summer, say on the weekend we could all hang in Canterlot! Wouldn't that be awesome? Just like old times!" Sweetie Belle enthused. Scootaloo's eyes widened. She didn't know Sweetie Belle felt like this. Uh oh, she thought. "Uhhh…ummm…listen Sweetie Belle, about that?" "What? Did you two have a fight or something?" She gulped and it was just audible through the phone.

"No uhhh…I kinda told her yesterday that she should…well not be friends with us anymore…but I did it nicely and everything and she's been growing apart from us! It was just the natural progression of things. We've been friends longer Sweetie Belle, since we were really little fillies and our relationship to each other is stronger than our ties to Applebloom." Scootaloo tried to explain. "What?! You said what?! Oh don't tell me…you told her I felt the same way didn't you?" Sweetie Belle's voice went all high, her voice squeaking at a screeching high note when she emphasised words angrily. "Well…you know actually…I did, hehehe?" Scootaloo chuckled half-heartedly, with a worried tone. "Scootaloo sometimes I wonder…how I could be friends with someone so insensitive! Scootaloo she's not a cutie mark, she's a person! You can't treat her like she's useless! We could've always kept being her friend, no matter if she gets that dumb mark or not!" Sweetie Belle squeaked in rage all through her sentence.

"But cutie marks are important! How else are we supposed to grow up if we don't know what we're going to do in life?" Scootaloo argued. "Scootaloo! We grow up regardless! I can't believe you'd say something like that, Applebloom is far from a baby." Sweetie Belle counter-argued. "She kind of is! She whines all the time and doesn't get out of her room anymore. She's sure not acting like a teenager. And plus when we get together all we do is talk about the cool things we do now we have our marks. We leave her out. You leave her out." Scootaloo argued. "I wanted to fix that between us! But now it looks like I'll never get a chance to. Thanks for nothing, and some friend you are!" "Why does everyone say that?" Scootaloo grumbled. "Maybe because it's true." Sweetie Belle swiftly came back and then hung up the phone. Rainbow Dash was standing at the door and folding her arms.

"Uhhh…hey Rainbow Dash? How's it…going?" Scootaloo asked trying to seem innocent. "Scootaloo. We need to have a talk." "Why?" Scootaloo smiled but it turned out like a cringe. "It's about your friends. I heard the conversation." Rainbow Dash told Scootaloo. "Ok ok…I kind of broke off my friendship with Applebloom, but it's for the best!" "Scootaloo, you love Applebloom. You're going to regret breaking up your friendship with her." Rainbow Dash tried to convince Scootaloo. "But she doesn't even try! She just sits in her room and doesn't do anything!" "Well Scootaloo, friendship is all about give and take. I think if I'm honest, you guys have taken a lot from Applebloom. In fact, she was the one who originally came up of the idea for you to hang on a regular basis with the Cutie Mark Crusaders back in middle school!" Rainbow Dash said. "Yeah…well she did, maybe I can stand to make things better…even if we're not going to be best friends anymore. That didn't feel good while I was doing it." Scootaloo looked guilty but a bit hopeful.

Then Rainbow Dash's face fell as she realized what she had to break to her. "Ummm…Scoots, listen. You might not get a chance all so quick." "What? Why?" "Applebloom…has gone missing." "Shit! When did this happen? Is your marefriend ok?" "Just yesterday…early in the morning Applejack discovered she was gone. The police reckon if she wasn't kidnapped, and there isn't any sign of breaking and entering, blood, and the leads for illegal stuff…like you know abuse and murder haven't got strong evidence as there are no signs of it and the crime rate in Ponyville at the moment is like less than 0.5 percent. The most plausible explanation that she decided on a whim to run away, all her stuff and some of her clothes are gone too. The room was virtually empty, now-" "Did I do this? Did I make her run away? I'm a horrible friend Rainbow." Scootaloo began to weep slightly, not even trying to put on a brave face, so Rainbow Dash knew this had to be serious. She grabbed her shoulder and made her turn towards her, making gentle eye contact.

"Scootaloo…we don't know what was going through her head. We can't just read anypony's mind. Now…ok maybe if you'd said some bad things to Applebloom that would be a factor. But that's just what cause ponies to run away. Factors. But factors pile up. It can't have been you and you alone to make her run away. I spoke to Applejack and while I don't want to disclose anything private between us, but, I will say this, Applebloom, like about half the whole teenage population at any given time, was having some family issues as well, that had been going on for a while in the background. Given that she's probably resentful of the way a lot of ponies treat her like a kid just because she hasn't got her cutie mark...that's the straws that break the camel's back. She feels unloved by us, and she probably said screw it, and up and left. That's what makes a pony run away. If they hate where they live, and their circumstances, they'll find a way out. Now Applebloom perhaps should've waited until she could properly move out a few years later, or she should've faced her problems. But this is the real world, and ponies make mistakes. Including you." Rainbow Dash ended her talk by snuggling Scootaloo for a few seconds, before letting go as to not get too mushy.

Meanwhile Sweetie Belle was whisked away after her phone call and given a quick diet lunch of hay seed and flower salad with tomatoes and cottage cheese, which was mildly flavoured and definetly not as exciting as apple fritters or the fried cheese her father used to make, but she ate it anyway knowing perfection was unattainable but yet desirable in the recording world. She was ordered to diet by her record company even though herself and Rarity protested that she was never heavy, she just always loved food and gained some adult curvature to her figure when puberty began. They told her that thin was in. Sweetie Belle missed what she looked like a year ago and thought she looked ghostly now that she'd lost 40 pounds, tinier than Applebloom, she was slightly underweight even. But the company always said she could loose 10 extra, so they kept her on a miserable extreme-low calorie diet. Rarity often fought hard battles with the company, acting as Sweetie Belle's guardian on her contract until she was out of her teens.

She also moved around Equestria with Sweetie Belle so she could make sure they weren't doing anything outrageously inappropriate with her and her image, and she would offer to chauffeur her baby sister around to all her events—if she wasn't busy with dress-making appointments. Today she happened to be free all day, so she got tickets to Sweetie Belle's performances as well. "Oh Sweetie Belle! That was a marvellous performance, have you had a good lunch?" Rarity chimed in, entering the filly's trailer. "Well it was a boring lunch. But ok." "Is that diet tough? I happen to like a good salad." "Yeah but you always liked salad much better than I did, and let's face it, it shows." Sweetie Belle sighed and Rarity giggled. "Ok ok maybe it's easier for those of us who prefer the fresh, gourmet flavours I guess. Don't you think you'd like if I made a more balanced healthy meal for you tonight? It won't even feel like you're eating something good for you." "Yeah that sounds so great, your cooking's delicious…but I don't know if the stupid company will allow it. I hate this Rarity, my ribs are showing. I want my flank back."

Sweetie Belle complained and Rarity giggled slightly at her uncouth admittance, but then put her arm around her. "Listen, if you're unhappy, and this continues…I think you need to find some other way to project your destiny. You're slightly underweight dear, and it might be alright to be like this, for now. But what if they ask for twenty, thirty more pounds? That's neglecting one of your basic needs as a pony, part of which is to be a healthy, safe weight. You're going to be unhappy and ravenous and wanting to pig out on your favourite foods before you lost weight, and that's not good for you either. If you desire to fatten up, we must do it slowly so it can be properly sustained. After all, it took you a year or under a year to loose all of it, so it only makes sense that we should use the same sort of time period to put it back on. Maybe you should also consider exercise, as that will help to bulk up healthily." Sweetie Belle tilted her head. "How do you know all this? You're just twelve years older than me."

"Well, darling…I haven't had much personal experience, but I do remember that when Mother was pregnant with you, and apparently me as well, she found it very had to eat the large amounts mothering ponies usually would be pleased to eat, you know to sustain herself and child? Apparently Mother has all her life loved food but found it hard to keep weight on that she'd gained, it was easy for her to loose weight, unlike most ponies. The doctor explained to us it was a gene that supressed appetite. It has to do with our family history. Do you remember Princess Cadence? She calls Celestia Aunt Celestia, but really her title should be Great-Great Aunt Celestia, and this is possible because Luna had a love child thousands of years ago at a young age, to a dog believe or not! A royal dog though. He died during her pregnancy in a freak accident. Her father…was not a gentle pony as you see Celestia and Luna, he was a fearsome brute, of a long poisonous bloodline.

She had triplets, the females appearing as ponies, and the one male appeared as a dog, but the father falsely portrayed them as stillborns, and gave them to paupers in Saddle Arabia, a month's journey by train. The eldest female, the unicorn Midnight Mavern, wielded amazing skills in magic, passing on magic to her all-unicorn children, and went on to be a very ancient descendant of Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armour. The middle male Sir Douggery the Second…had his own children as well but the third generation had been so bred out that they were all living and looking like ponies, and his eldest granddaughter, reportedly the beauty of all Saddle Arabia found an ugly but loving peasant husband and they had Cadence, born about eight hundred years or so before Luna's return. The youngest female, is related to us my dear. She was called Rarity! Do you see a resemblance?

Midnight Mavern was a navy pony, similar to Luna, whilst Rarity had a white coat like Celestia and her father's fame, and a sparkling shroud of baby blue mane. Rarity discovered the Crystal Empire, and ruled as Queen Rarity all up until she died. Then Sombra sadly took over. But do you know what gene was similar amongst all of Luna's many descendants?" "The…appetite gene?" "Yes! Luna was always a tiny pony and found it tough to gain weight even when she wanted to as she discovered she was with foal. Celestia never had a problem though, she even gained some eighty years ago when she discovered chocolate and ballooned to a big size. Let me tell you if you think your diet is miserable you should read up on Celestia's ancient diet. No cheese or dairy, no eggs, no root vegetables, no sugar, no flour, no grain, no nuts, no beans, little carbs whatsoever! She was constantly eating seeds with watery salad as her main item.

Horrible really, but ponies were much stricter on royals than the light in which we view them now. So that's how I can retain how I am quite easily, to make a long story short. You likely are more like our father, or perhaps you have Celestia's food inhaling genes." Rarity concluded amusedly. "But…hang on. If Midnight Mavern and Douggery the Second were brother and sister…EW are Shining Armour and Cadence related! Gross!" "Wait Sweetie Belle! You need to remember that would make them related…about one thousand years ago! So, that means that the brother sister connection gets weaker with each new family forged and new generation. The lines have likely been blurred. Shining Armour and Princess Cadence are probably so distant it is no different than anypony else marrying somepony. It is not immoral." "Alright if you say so. What time is it? I might be late for my meeting if we don't go soon, but…thanks Sis." "Anytime." Rarity smiled and ushered Sweetie Belle into the horse and cart, taking the reigns.

After a meeting that lasted forever, Sweetie Belle hang around so she could chat with Fine Tune, the only female executive on the board, and a new friend in a world of old strangers, although Sweetie Belle couldn't openly be friendly towards Fine Tune because Fine Tune would be fired for fraternizing with the artist. Fine Tune was also young, and a musicial prodigy who went through high school when she should've been in middle school or younger. Fine Tune decided to become an executive producer at a record company, but was around eighteen. "Oh geez Belle you look famished." "Yeah, well salad and tomatoes aren't gonna fill this belly up! Well mostly ribs now. I wish they'd be less strict on my diet. At least I get to eat what Rarity's cooking now, as long as it's healthy." "I say you should just eat up on the low. They're not following you twenty-four-seven! Eat what you want when they're not looking."

"I also don't like the material their giving me. I asked specifically for a half album of my material. Now it's two songs or nothing! What happened? I don't wanna sing this pop crap. What the heck is "Shake Your Sugar Rump" anyway? " "It's the industry. I love it but I hate it. They're trying to make you pop. Which equals zero integrity basically nowadays. But don't despair. Pop can be fun to do." "But I wanted integrity in my songs! I wanted to sing about real problems, not about my body and getting laid." Fine Tune giggled at her bold statement. "What the songs are all metaphoric-y, what else does "Use My body" or "Touch It" or "Your Pointy Horn" mean anyway? I'm thinking about breaking contract to be honest. But I don't know where that leaves us. I just can't release this album though, it's junk! I'll be a laughing stock." Sweetie Belle grumbled. "Belle…wait. I know some guys down on the avenue that might be able to help you. I can help out as well." "What?" "We can branch out and create our own record label if you don't want to go through with this. The boys down on the avenue are super-talented! They're a group of producers and also have a new kind of underground music they call rap. They talk in rhymes, but fast." "I knew a zebra like that. But she spoke slowly, not fast as you say."

"Yeah it comes naturally to zebras. Some ponies even do it as well. I know a group of five, fired up talented young stallions, I've shown them your voice on tape and they love it for it's soulful qualities. They live on the street of Avenue Five." Fine Tune told Sweetie Belle. "Wait wait wait! Isn't that on the edge of Canterlot and near the Brooklyn Villages? That is such a dodgy place I can't go there! I'll get mugged! And I'm white!" Sweetie Belle protested with a slight snobbish edge. "Don't be a snob. Why the heck would it matter if you're white? They'll get over it. Well eventually I hope, at least you don't look TOO much like Celestia. She's the "man" they all kinda like to stick it to. That's why you hear all the 'white' references coming from there. Anyways, it is shady, yeah but it is a great opportunity and we'll go together. Safety in numbers. Just don't bring your wallet." Sweetie Belle looked deep in thought for a minute. "If we were going to see these ponies/zebras…hypothetically, where would we meet them and at what time? And I think we need to be there…kind of incognito because this would be the kind of situation Rarity would LOATHE me to be in to the max."

"Well…they are night owls. They're the kind of dudes that sleep in till 3 in the afternoon, so that could work with your whole 'incognito' vibe. We can show up at their pad after your sis goes to sleep. She's quite an early bird, right?" Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah she's all about that beauty sleep. But I'm a night owl through and through. She goes to bed about 10 and leaves me to my own devices, she's usually knocked out by 11. So that could work." Sweetie Belle offered. "How about I come up to the house at midnight? Be waiting at your door and I'll send you a text when I'm at the door. We can take a taxi to the avenue since it's too dark to walk around there safety, then have a few drinks and discuss partnering up." Fine Tune planned. "Ok, but light drinks for me. I don't drink that much." Sweetie Belle told her. "I'm still surprised you do drink. You're fifteen!" "Yeah but Rarity's been giving me champagne on special occasions since I was thirteen. She's surprisingly relaxed about the whole thing, despite being uptight about almost everything else." Sweetie Belle replied.

"Great! So it's settled. Let's go…are you free tomorrow?" "Yeah totally not booked! I'm nervous but excited at the same time!" "You go girl!" They high fived and then shared a playful laugh. "I'm so glad to have a friend like you now. I mean we've only known each other a year now, but I can tell we'll be hanging for a while yet! I just wish all my friends were being loyal…" Sweetie Belle sighed. "Troubles at home?" "You know my bestest friend way back since Unicorn and Pegasus Kinder, Scootaloo? Well she told one of our best friends to go beat it and I haven't seen that other friend Applebloom properly in ages. And she kind of spoke for me and it…just…I've always been the shy, "weird" one of our group but she's never used the fact that I'll keep my feelings and opinions inside forever…and now she's just started to do it! That pissed me off you know? I feel like a pawn in her life! I need to get some new friends. I hope the five guys are friendly…"

"Wow. That's rough. You know I'm here though. And those guys are a little rough around the edges, so be prepared, but if they like you, they're pretty loyal and friendly. They practically treat me like a sister! I've known them forever." "You have so many friends! And so does Rarity…I regret I was so shy as a child. For my whole childhood I had two friends to show for it! Well I guess Rarity is more of my cool older friend now that I've grown up properly and don't need any babysitting. Although I could use her cooking skills if I wanna move out someday. But she doesn't really count because we were raised together so being friends is practically a given! You have all these strong bonds, and I'm here…feeling like a loser. I dunno…" Sweetie Belle vented. "Belle, listen, don't just sit there and regret! Some of us are shy at certain points in our lives, it doesn't matter though. You are so brave as a shy pony, you've only known me for a year or a little less and you've told me ALL this stuff about yourself! I know your life story! I think that's pretty incredible for somepony who calls herself "shy".

And it doesn't even matter if you are shy! You have great qualities of your own! You're the wisest young pony I know for one, you would rather have a message in your music, and heart instead of tons and tons of money. You're also one of the funniest and coolest ponies around and I think it's really weird you weren't the most popular pony growing up, but—shit I am no good at this talking stuff. Ok, well sorry. But your cool!" Sweetie Belle laughed. "You're a classic! I've gotta get going though. Rarity will think I got lost or something. Bye now! Midnight tomorrow?" "Midnight tomorrow. Go get 'em." Fine Tune winked assuredly at Sweetie Belle and she waved back.

She came back to Rarity's makeshift flat in Canterlot a few blocks away to the overwhelming smell of dinner, her tummy half-filled from her tiny lunch and beginning to rumble. "Hi Rarity! Whatcha making there?" Sweetie Belle happily asked, closing the door behind her. "Oh finally Sweetie Belle, I was about to call your cell-phone! Well at least you've given me some time to prepare a hearty yet refreshing dinner tonight. We're having a Mexican taco salad. Seeing as we're in summer and all…" "Oh boy!" Sweetie Belle licked her lips. Rarity had finished and layered blue corn chips, homemade refried beans, salsa verde, tomato and onion relish, greens, and a reasonable portion of queso blanco. All organic and fresh of course, knowing Rarity, and Sweetie Belle devoured it in a particularly uncouth way.


End file.
